GRANTSBORO — The Grantsboro Planning Board gave its OK Thursday night for a Walmart request for an ordinance variance allowing 242 parking spaces for a planned Walmart Supercenter on N.C. 55.

Charlie Hall, Sun Journal Staff

GRANTSBORO — The Grantsboro Planning Board gave its OK Thursday night for a Walmart request for an ordinance variance allowing 242 parking spaces for a planned Walmart Supercenter on N.C. 55.

The matter will go to the full Grantsboro town council Oct. 1, when approval is expected, followed by a public hearing two weeks later.

The retail giant announced this week plans to build a “small” 70,000-square-foot Supercenter in the town of about 700 residents.

It is one of two stores the nation’s largest retailer plans for Pamlico County, the other being a 12,000-square-foot Express store just outside the town limits of Oriental.

While there has been organized opposition against the Oriental store, no formal group has protested the building of the Grantsboro store, which would be located behind the site of the under-construction State Employees Credit Union, across N.C. 55 from the Pamlico Square Shopping Center.

Two people spoke at the Thursday night meeting, expressing displeasure with Walmart locating in Grantsboro, although neither complaint addressed the issue of parking.

Planning board chairman Ray Lewis noted that Walmart met the town’s zoning ordinance and could place a store in Grantsboro even if it were not granted the parking variance. Walmart officials who attended the meeting confirmed that statement.

The variance allows for one parking space per 300-square feet of store space, more than the town’s current allowance of one space per 200-square-feet of building gross space.

It was noted that this would actually reduce the footprint of the parking lot, about three acres — making for less storm water runoff.

Eric Litchfield, the district marketing manager for Walmart located from the coast to Mount Olive, told the board that the Grantsboro store would be the second 70,000-square-foot store in the chain, the other being in Georgia.

He said the New Bern Supercenter was about 200,000-square-feet.

“If you run a good business, you can compete with Walmart,” he said of local concerns about the chain store harming small local businesses. “We like to be a good neighbor. We have found a need to return to our roots in small towns.”

Litchfield said afterward he was happy with the outcome.

“We appreciate the hospitality. This is local government at its best,” he said. “And, with this, we are making the parking lot smaller.”

The Grantsboro tract is about 14 acres, with about 9 acres housing the store and its parking area.

The company submitted plans this week to the Pamlico County building inspector for the two new stores. Walmart currently has stores in New Bern and Havelock.

A spokesman said earlier in the week that upon permit approvals, construction could begin next month, with the two stores opening in 2014.

Charlie Hall can be reached at 252-635-5667 or Charlie.hall@newbernsj.com.

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